Former insurance firm CEO dies of cancer

Joseph Teresi, former CEO of Brighton-based First Niagara Risk Management Inc., died Monday from brain cancer. He was 46.

Mr. Teresi, a native of the Buffalo area, joined the insurance subsidiary of First Niagara Financial Group Inc. in 2006 after 17 years at Chubb Corp.

First Niagara Risk Management was the largest commercial insurance firm in the local market for most of Mr. Teresi’s time as its top executive. He served as CEO for more than five years and expanded the insurance brokerage’s geographic footprint into Pennsylvania and New England,

He left Risk Management in January 2012 to become a co-owner and partner with Williamsville, Erie County-based Commercial Insurance Consultants Inc. He continued to live in Brighton.

Mr. Teresi joined Chubb in June 1989, beginning as an underwriting trainee and moving up to marketing manager and then regional marketing manager.

He moved to the Rochester area in January 2002 to manage Chubb’s upstate New York market from Buffalo to Albany.

He is survived by his wife, Gina; children, Alyssa and Michael; and parents, Frank and Patricia Teresi.

Calling hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday at the Anthony Funeral Home, 2305 Monroe Ave.; a funeral is 11 a.m. Friday at St. Thomas More Church, 2617 East Ave.